Tragedy viggies
by Toni
Summary: Yet another viggie series. This one's capturing angst from my favorite GFFA ladies.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: These characters are fantastic toys from the GFFA. I just play with them, there's no money involved (sniff).

As she landed and prepared to lead the clone troops out to see the damage, she wasn't sure how to prepare herself for what she was about to find. She could only imagine what Grievous had done, and it had, despite the Code, been in her nightmares the entire trip here. How could she possibly be expected to show no emotion when she found the bodies she was sure she was about to find, since they Jedi there hadn't had contact with them since the battle? Sometimes she felt almost envious of the genetic tampering of the clones.

The "No Attachment" part of the Code had already meant she couldn't be with the man she loved. They had hardly spoken in years as they weren't sure what would happen, what would be stirred up if they did spend time together. And now she had a sickening feeling that her Master, who had been like a mother to her, had become one with the Force. She would be expected to simply move on as though it wasn't important and back to winning this war. Back to fighting for the Republic, no matter the cost.

How had the Jedi gotten involved in fighting a galactic war anyway? Weren't they supposed to be peacemakers?

"Master Tachi", one of the clones said to her, "We have found no survivors. How should we dispose of the bodies?"

"Cremation," she answered without thinking. After all, it was what the Jedi and many cultures across the Galaxy did to honor the dead. Some of the troops started methodically preparing the fire that would be the end of the bodies.

This time she was envious that the clones didn't have the past she had with some of those who had died and that they didn't seem to need a family. The Jedi were the only family she really had as she hadn't had contact with her original one in years.

Taking a deep breath, she made herself walk step by step off the ship's ramp and towards the bodies. Everything looked burned or broken and there was a horrible smell in the air. Still, she kept going. The Jedi deserved to have someone pay their last respects and the Council would want confirmation from her as to what had happened.

Sure enough, there was Adi Gallia, perfectly still, with a lightsaber wound to the chest.

The first thought that went through her mind was that she should have been there to protect her Master. If she'd been there, perhaps this wouldn't have happened and the two could be congratulating themselves on the defeat of Grievous by now.

Then again, she'd had enough of the "What If's". She could only live in the future as she couldn't change the past. So she would find a way to go on, without her Master and without being with the man she loved.


	2. Another look at pivotal ROTS moment

As soon as Obi-Wan entered her apartment, she knew that something was terribly, sickeningly wrong. The normally stoic Jedi had a look of horror and betrayal.

"I must find Anakin," he began. "He is in grave danger."

Although she had suspected that since she had heard about Order 66 and Anakin had told her he was going to Mustafar to end the war, it was still a lightsaber to the heart to hear the words. Had her love, the Hero with no Fear, gotten himself in far more than he could handle this time? It certainly seemed like it.

"From the Sith?" she asked, assuming that was the main thing that could harm Anakin. After all, he had more raw power than anyone.

"From himself." Obi-Wan paused as though steadying himself for what he needed to say next. "I saw security footage from the Temple. He was killing younglings."

Padme couldn't believe what she was hearing, both that Anakin could possibly commit such violence and that Obi-Wan could believe it. "Not Anakin! We both know he couldn't. He's not capable of that."

"The Dark Side can twist and seduce," Obi-Wan answered. "Nobody realized that Palpatine was manipulating him."

This was, against her will, starting to make a horrifying sort of sense. Anakin had been acting differently and told her he had a new power that could save her life. Where had that power come from after all? The Jedi or the Sith?

And she was sure that she was the one to bring Anakin back to the light side. She'd go to Mustafar as soon as Obi-Wan left and get to the bottom of this. She'd learn what happened and get Anakin back to himself somehow.

She didn't know how she could live with herself if she didn't.

"You mean to kill him, don't you?" She couldn't deny anymore what Obi-Wan was capable of if he felt that he was keeping the Galaxy safe from the Sith and the new Empire. Not if she was going to have any chance of keeping her family together.

"He has become a grave threat." And that was all the answer she needed to hear. And with that, he turned around to leave her apartment.

At least he didn't know where Anakin was so she could reach him first.


	3. Alderaan

The entire planet she had grown up on had been destroyed in an instant.

Even she hadn't thought the Empire capable of killing billions just to make a point to those who would support the Alliance. Even though she knew very well what the Death Star was capable of, she wasn't sure the Empire would use it against a peaceful planet. That is she hadn't been sure the Empire would dare destroy a civilian planet up until the moment she heard Tarkin give the order to have Alderaan destroyed.

"You may fire when ready." Then there was a blast, and it was done. Everything she knew had been turned into rubble.

Her beloved father was dead. She was just about beyond caring if the Empire killed her as well.

How could she possibly go on, even if she somehow managed to return to the base on Yavin? There was no support, no home to ever return to, no family to ever see again. Her parents and friends kept going through her mind, along with the Palace, the fields and the mountains. All so precious to her, what she was fighting the Empire to help protect, and all reduced to shards of stone that looks like an asteroid belt. And how would the Alliance possibly grow if the Empire could simply threaten to destroy the planet of anyone who opposed them?

In any case, she was back in her cell, and she didn't have much hope of rescue before the Empire killed her. Well, she always knew there was a possibility this would happen when she joined the Alliance. It had been a risk she felt she was willing to take even since she learned that her father was a major part of the Alliance in a holocall she'd overheard a standard year or two ago.

Being out of this horrifying pain that was turning into numbness actually didn't sound bad at the moment. At least she'd be out of pain without giving away the Alliance base's location. And the plans to the Death Star would hopefully soon be with the Alliance – she knew the droid she had put the plans into was the most tenacious she'd ever encountered.

All this was going through her mind when her cell door opened. Leia discovered that she was beyond caring what the stormtrooper in front of her was going to do. It couldn't be worse than what she'd already experienced.

"Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?" she asked, as she'd never seen one so small – or almost gawking at her in this way.

Then the young man took off his helmet, and she realized he wasn't a stormtrooper after all.

"I'm Luke Skywalker, and I'm here to rescue you."

And suddenly, although the pain and nightmares would never completely go away, there was some hope – for her and the Alliance – again.


	4. Caedus

Mara couldn't believe what she had heard from Ben. Yes, she knew that Jacen had changed, but her kindhearted nephew becoming a Sith? Of course, she'd never known anyone who became a Sith after she met them, so she wouldn't know what they were like.

And more importantly, Mara absolutely trusted Ben and knew he had been spending a lot of time with his cousin Jacen in recent months. Mara thought that Jacen was simply mentoring and training Ben.

Looking back on it, though, she shouldn't have been so naïve.

"I'm glad you told me, Ben," said Mara, trying to stay as calm as she could in front of her son. "And I don't want you going back to Jacen after this."

"No problem, mom," said Ben. "He's starting to scare me."

"And he should – I mean, anyone who's been using the Dark Side should," replied Mara, suddenly hoping that nobody in the diner was listening in. "I would have thought Jacen would have learned that lesson, but even I've noticed he hasn't been the same since Vergere tortured him."

After Ben left, she started to plan how she was going to find Jacen without him sensing that she was coming. It would take all her Force-shielding and searching skills, but what else had she learned from Palpatine? It didn't matter how powerful Jacen had become, she'd find him soon enough.

And it didn't matter how many years it had been since her assassin's training. It wasn't something that she had forgotten about. And Jacen was about to learn that firsthand.

The more she thought about it, the more furious she became. Jacen should know better than anyone else. He should have had it drilled into him more than anyone else how dangerous the Dark Side was. He should know that nothing good could be done while under its influence if his grandfather, the Chosen One himself, couldn't do it.

And Mara was not about to let another Sith ruin the Galaxy if she could help it. She'd learned and matured entirely too much to help another Sith rise to power—no matter how convincing it seemed.

And this time it was personal – he'd tried to make Ben his apprentice. He had tried to turn her innocent teenage son. Yes, what she was about to do could destroy the family she'd found after so many years on her own.

But Jacen had started it. Someone had to stop him, and why not her? She had the training and the will to save the Galaxy.

She's always been more than protective enough of Ben to save him at any cost. Jacen wouldn't even see her coming.


End file.
